Digital salary and industry insights report, 7th edition

1 l Digital Salary & Industry Insights

DigitalSalary &IndustryInsights7th Edition

propellondon.com0207 432 [email protected]

Digital Salary & Industry Insights l 3

Contents

Preface 5Methodology 6Demographics 7

Overview 8Open Blend Method 9Leaving Intentions 14Factors that drive job change 17How professionals find a role 18Bonus receipt & company benefits 20C-Level Insights 23Contractors/Freelancers 25Salary overview 26Gender pay gap 26

Marketing 28Demographics and highlights 29Open Blend summary 30 Salaries 32

Advertising Operations/Trafficking 32Affiliate Marketing 32Campaign Management 33Content Management / Editorial 33Digital Advertising 34 Email Marketing / eCRM 34Marketing - Online / Direct 35Marketing - Brand Strategy 35Paid Search 36Paid Social 36Product Management 37SEO/SEM 37Social Media 38

Commercial 39Demographics and highlights 40Open Blend summary 41Salaries 43

Account Management 43Agency Sales 43Business Development 44Channel Sales 44

Customer Services 45Enterprise Software Sales 45Partnerships 46Pre-Sales 46Publisher Development 47

Technical 48Demographics and highlights 49Open Blend summary 50Salaries 52

Architecture 52Back-end Development 52Big Data 53Business Analysis 53Front-end Development 54IT Operations 54Mobile Development 55Programme Management 55Project Management 56Testing & Quality Assurance 56

Creative 57Demographics and highlights 58Open Blend summary 59Salaries 61

Artwork 61Copywriting 61Creative Strategy 62Design 63Production Management 63Project Management 63UX / UI 64

Business Operations 65Demographics and highlights 66Open Blend summary 67Salaries 69

Administration 69Finance 69Human Resources 70IT Salaries 70


The seventh edition of our ‘Digital Salary & Industry Insights’ report sees us deepen our understanding of the individuals driving the global digital economy through collaboration with Open Blend Method. We listened to last year’s respondents and developed our research to provide insight that’s more comprehensive than ever and which employers can utilise to improve staff satisfaction and retention.

As in previous years, our research combines the results from an online survey (over 1,300 respondents) with anonymised data taken from our own internal records. In doing so, we’re able to present a broad insight into both the salaries and the working lives of the professionals driving the global digital economy.

How does your salary compare to your peers? Which factors drive job change? Which factors impact most on staff retention?

These questions and more we can now answer thanks to our extensive research.

So, whether you are looking to hire, get hired or just have an interest in the results, we hope our report proves useful to you.

Melina JacovouCEO & FounderPropel London

“We listened to last year’srespondents and developed our research to provide insight that’s more comprehensive than ever.”

Welcome


Propel’s seventh annual ‘Digital Salary & Industry Insights’ report combines our own internal salary data with over 1,300 respondents to a survey we conducted from December 2015 to February 2016.

The survey element has been included in the research for our previous two salary surveys, with questions designed to provide insight into work life blend and role perceptions within the global digital economy.

The report is split into five main sections. The first breaks down the overall results from our survey across the entire sample, showing differences across seniority, length of tenure, gender, business type and skill set. The remaining four sections analyse our sample based on their wider skill set.

We split out our respondents into five main skill sets: Marketing, Commercial, Technical, Creative and Business Operations. Within these skill sets, data is broken down further by seniority, which we split into the following brackets:

• Junior / Non Management• Mid-level / Middle Management• Senior / Senior Management / Head of• Senior Executive / CxO / Managing Director / Board Level

The following pages provide a brief overview of the methodology adopted to compile the report, and a summary of the demographic splits for the sample.

This report has been produced by Propel in partnership with The Drum and Open Blend Method.

Any queries regarding the contents of this report, as well as any media queries, can be directed to our marketing department on 0207 432 6340 or by emailing us at [email protected].

Preface


The data for this report is drawn from two primary sources; an online survey carried out in early 2016, and internal salary records taken from placed candidates and client briefs throughout 2015/16.

Online surveyWe gathered the data through a pre-tested and then revised questionnaire. The responses were collected online via SurveyMonkey, then analysed through Microsoft Office Excel and PowerBI.

We received 1,353 responses to the survey, 43 of which were invalidated due to being either incomplete, irrelevant or due to respondent error.

The final survey data set therefore consists of 1,310 responses from individuals working across the global digital economy.

The questionnaire structure took into consideration a number of factors regarding respondent behaviour, namely:

• Direct influences - demographic variables (e.g. age, gender, seniority, job title and salary)• Behavioural influences - career level, years in industry, skill set• Deduced influences – work life blend, attitudes, career patterns

This year, we measured the deduced influences of our respondents more explicitly through incorporating the Open Blend Method into our analysis. A full summary of the methodology applied to derive the Open Blend Method results can be found on page 9.

Internal dataWe took a total of 1,850 anonymised salary records from our own database. This allowed us to supplement the salary data provided by survey respondents with robust data drawn from placed candidates and client briefs.

Final data total In total we have 3,160 individual data records to form the basis of our analysis.

Methodology


Demographics

Female 37%

Male 63%

Junior 18%C-level 8%

Mid-level 39%

Senior 35%

Creative 17%

BusinessOperations 10%Technical

21%

Marketing37%

Commercial15%

18-24, 9%65+, 1%

45-54, 8%55-64, 2%

25-34, 52%35-44, 28%

AgencySide 38%

Tech Vendor 15%

Consultancy5%

In-house/client-side 42%

Less than1 year 38%4-5 years 5%

>5 years 7%

3-4 years 8%

1-2 years 26%

2-3 years16%

Demographics overview: Gender

Demographics overview: Seniority

Demographics overview: Skill set

Demographics overview: Age

Demographics overview: Type of business

Demographics overview: Time in role

The demographics are consistent with our 2015 report, with some minor variations. Most notably, there are fewer females represented in the sample at 37% compared to 40% in 2015.

70% of the sample are based in Greater London, with the remainder based across the various UK regions and overseas. The most represented region in the UK is the South East which accounts for 8%. A further 8% of the sample are based outside the UK.

As expected, those working in media and technology formed the majority of our sample, with over 20 other business sectors also represented, including retail, finance, and government services. This highlights the growing requirement for digital talent across the UK economy.


Section 1:

Overview

Before delving into the five skill sets andspecialisms, we have analysed thesample as a whole within the overviewsection.

This section acts to provide perspectiveto the rest of the report and provide ageneral summary of employeeperceptions and average salaries acrossthe global digital economy.


IntroductionIn our 2015 report, 95% of respondents told us that work life balance was ‘very important’ to them. So, we listened and this year have developed our report through collaboration with Open Blend Method - an online tool that facilitates coaching in sessions between a manager and their talent.

At the heart of these sessions is the methodology of work life blend – the replacement for work life balance.

The term ‘work life balance’ implies a precarious balancing act. It’s a notion that suggests our work and our life are in opposition to each other.

The concept of work life blend acknowledges the reality that productivity at work is impacted by life and life is impacted by work. Our life commitments are not separate, they come together, influence each other and blend.

The Open Blend methodology is underpinned by the belief that well-being drives perfor-mance and that if you are happy, not stressed, confident and secure in your role you have the best chance of reaching your potential.

Well-beingRespondents were first asked to score the following well-being questions based on how they felt generally in life - questions were scored 0-10 with 0 low and 10 high.

• How stressed are you?• How happy are you?• How confident are you?• How skilled do you feel to progress

in your career?

Averages for the well-being metrics across our sample can be viewed in the accompanying chart. It is encouraging that stress scores are lowest for the group out of the recorded metrics, and that confidence, both generally and in terms of confidence in skills, display the highest scores.

There are few gender differences across the sample, however men appear to be slightly more confident than women on average (7.3 to 6.6 confidence score).

HAPPINESS

CONFIDENCE

SKILLED TOPROGRESS 7.4

7.1

6.7

5.7STRESS

0.0 1.0 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 7.0 8.0 9.0 10.06.0

WELL-BEING AVERAGES ACROSS THE SAMPLE


Similarly, there are no stark differences in averages based on age, but both the 18-24 (Gen Z) and 45-54 (Younger Boomers) groups observe scores lower than the average across most well-being measures.

We were also interested in the respondents whose happiness score fell in both the bottom and top 20% of the sample. We highlight these two groups in the next section and look at how their work life blend scores impact upon their happiness scores.

Unique work life blendTo create a unique work life blend we asked each survey respondent to: “Imagine that everything is running smoothly in your life, you are highly effective at work and home, you are happy and feel on top of everything in your life, what is contributing to this? “

They were then taken through a 3 stage process:

1. Each respondent was given a menu of 27 contributing factors known as elements.

They were asked to choose 8 contributing elements, which we used to form their unique work life blend.

2. Once identified, the respondent scored each of these 8 elements on a scale of 0-10 to re-flect their current level of fulfilment in this area. This created their current work life blend.

3. Each element was then scored again based on where it needs to be in order for the respondent to be highly effective and satisfied, thus creating their target work life blend.

Finally, the respondent’s current and target score were each calculated as percentages.

clear careergoals

flexibleculture

fulfilmentat work

making adifference at

work

manageableworkload

mindsetwell-being

my children my parter organisedat work

recognition relationshipsat work

supportivenetwork

time withfamily and

friends

childcaresupport

effective IT effectiveteam

effective useof hours

fun

health and exercise

money my time organised at home

progressing at work

quality time with kids

sense of belonging at

work

supportive family

supportive leader


Results

Understanding why elements go unfulfilled holds the key to retaining talent, something we highlight later on.

Displayed below are the average fulfilment scores for respondents in both the top 20% and bottom 20% for happiness score (page 8) across the 8 most popular elements identified by the respondents.

As mentioned, this is to highlight how an individual’s work life blend impacts upon their happiness.

Current Blend Score

Most popular element choice top 20% happiness Bottom 20% happiness

1. Money 73% 45%

2. Fulfilment at work 77% 51%

3. Fun 78% 47%

4. My partner 93% 64%

5. Time with friends and family 83% 67%

6. Health and exercise 76% 63%

7. Progression at work 78% 62%

8. Making a difference at work 82% 53%

target blend

22% gap

averagecurrent blend

63%

85% It is this 22% gap which is important for businesses to understand as the higher the gap, the greater the disparity between the individual’s current level of fulfilment and their target level.

Interestingly, the 22% gap is consistent across the male and female respondents.


To highlight the link between work life blend and well-being further, respondents expe-riencing a blend fulfilment of 80% and above are in the top 20% for happiness score. In contrast, people experiencing blend fulfilment of under 60% are in the bottom 20% for happiness score.

We also found that respondents in the top 20% for happiness are less likely to consider a job change and the respondents with the highest stress scores are the most likely to consider a job change.

Across the sample, there is an interesting finding when we compare the most fulfilled elements to the least fulfilled.

As shown, the most fulfilled elements are all home related with the least fulfilled all work related. This provides an opportunity for businesses as the findings indicate the 22% gap in blend fulfilment sits within the work environment, areas managers and businesses can have a direct impact on.

35 – 44 year olds have the most fulfilled work life blends and are the happiest age group, whereas those in the 45-54 bracket are least happy, and also feel least skilled and least confident.

Across all age groups people that feel more skilled to progress are less likely to consider a job change.

Most fulfilled elements Least fulfilled elements

My partner

My children

Supporting my family

Quality time with my children

Time with friends and family

Progression at work

Recognition

Clear career goals

My time

Fulfilment at work


General themes by age group

23%

ReCOMMenDATIOnSOur Open Blend research emphasises the findings from our 2015 report, that the factors responsible for poor retention are both targetable and addressable. The same factors highlighted in our Open Blend research are also explicitly identified as con-tributory factors throughout our survey. It shows that the companies that focus on progression, clear career paths, and recognition of individual achievement will succeed in retaining motivated staff.

Largest gap in current – target blend:

Most stressed out of the age groups

The happiest group with the most fulfilled blend.

Lowest group in terms of happiness, confidence and skills to progress in their role.

Least stressed but least fulfilled blend out of all the age groups.

Important to this age group:



Need their employers to support them with:






18 - 24 Gen Z

25 - 34 MILLennIALS

34 - 44 Gen Y/X

45 - 55

55+

We have broken the results down further across each section within the report, and includes further information on work life blend by skill set and age group.

time withfamily and friends

time withfamily and friends

fulfilmentat work

making adifference at work

fulfilmentat work

recognition

recognition

fun

fun clear careergoals

clear careergoals

progressing at work

clear careergoals

my parter progressing at work

health and exercise

flexibleculture

fulfilmentat work


To understand the factors that drive professionals to change roles, we asked our respond-ents whether they were considering a job change in 2016, why they left their previous position and what would make them leave their current position.

Last year, 52% of individuals were considering a job change, a figure which has increased in this year’s sample to 63%. This is a substantial difference, and also represents an increase from our 2014 sample, in which 57% of the group were considering a job change.

Male vs femaleWithin the sample, male respondents (64%) are more likely than their female counterparts (61%) were to consider a move in 2016. This is consistent with previous reports which found leaving intentions to be higher amongst men.

Business typeThose working for a consultancy were the most likely to consider a change, with 72% seek-ing a move. The lowest leaving intentions were displayed by agency employees (56%) with those working client-side (62%) and for technology vendors (60%) being slightly higher.

Seniority / length of tenureInterestingly, only 47% of C-level respondents are likely to consider changing role in 2016 - a decrease on last year’s 49%. In comparison, junior (65%), mid-level (66%) and senior (62%) professionals are all more likely to consider leaving their role this year.

Leaving intentions

No 37%

Yes 63%

Are you considering a job change in 2016?


As with last year, length of tenure also continues to act as a clear influence, with intentions increasing consistently as the number of years of service increases. Leaving intentions peak at 79% for those at the 4-5 year mark, and only once an individual has been with their company for over 5 years do we begin to see a decrease.

Those that have been with their company for less than a year are the only example where those intending to stay represent the majority with only 42% considering a change.

Junior Mid-level Senior C-level

20%

10%

30%

50%40%

60%70%

35%

65%

34%

66%

38%

62%

53%

47%

NO YES NO YES YESNO YESNO

< 1 year

20%

10%

30%

50%40%

60%70%

80%90%

58%

42%

NO YES1 - 2 years

31%

69%

NO YES2 - 3 years

28%

72%

NO YES3 -4 years

24%

76%

NO YES4 - 5 years

21%

79%

NO YES> 5 years

36%

64%

NO YES

Job change vs Seniority

Job change vs Tenure


Bonus receipt / remunerationAs in previous years, professionals who receive bonuses are typically less likely to be consid-ering a job change, although there is little difference. 58% of those that receive a bonus are still considering a potential move this year, in comparison to 61% of those that do not.

Similarly, 74% of those that believe they are underpaid intend to leave their role this year, whereas only 47% of those who state they are fairly paid are actively considering a move.

Of those that received a pay increase, 56% are considering a change in role. However, for those that have received a pay cut, or simply have received no increase over the past 12 months, this rises to approximately 65% for both groups.

Interestingly, it seems that among our sample, it’s almost as damaging for businesses to not increase salary as it is to decrease it. Of the sample who received no change in salary over the past 12 months, 65% are considering a job change, the same percentage as those whose salary decreased.

Decreased Increased No change

20%

10%

30%

50%40%

60%70%

35%

65%

44%

56%

35%

65%

NO YES NO YES YESNO

ReCOMMenDATIOnS• Given the influence that these pay perceptions seem to hold over leaving intentions,

there’s a clear message for employers that more needs to be done to communicate why pay levels are fair and equitable to employees, and to increase pay where ap-propriate. The fact that money was highlighted as the most critical element in our open blend research further emphasises the influence of pay as a key factor in aiding retention.

• Length of service continues to be a major impact on leaving intentions as it was in 2015. Employers need to do more to engage staff after their first year in post, particu-larly in processes like pay reviews as remuneration perceptions continue to impact leaving intentions dramatically.

Job change vs Annual salary change


We were also interested in exploring the main reasons respondents choose to leave their organisations.

Across the sample, the most significant factors were generally consistent across our skill set groups, in order these are. In order these are:

1. Lack of career opportunities / progression (26%)2. New work challenge (19%)3. People / culture / working environment (17%)

Uncompetitive pay is also a key factor, rating highly for 15% of our respondents.

The older the individual gets, the more the focus shifts from career progression to new work challenges, suggesting that individuals are perhaps seeking more substantial career shifts as they grow older.

Culture and working environment also becomes increasingly significant with age, rising from 11% in 18-24 year olds, to 27% in the 55-64 bracket. Additionally, as with our 2015 report, redundancy increases as a contributory factor to changing roles as individuals progress through their career.

Salary is also more important for younger professionals, with an average of 16% choosing this as the key influence across the 18-24 and 25-34 brackets combined, compared to approxi-mately 11% between the 35-44, 45-54 and 55-64 age ranges combined.

We also asked our respondents what their main reasons would be, if they decided to leave their current position for another role.

In order, the most commonly selected reasons for changing roles were:

• Improved career opportunities / progression (65%)• Increased financial remuneration / compensation package (60%)• New work challenge (43%)

While improved career opportunities / progression and a new work challenge remain important factors, interestingly increased financial remuneration was the second most commonly cited factor, again reaffirming the findings from Open Blend Method.

Factors that drive change


We also investigated the platforms and channels they used to source this new position.

Across our entire sample recruitment consultancies (47%) and LinkedIn (46%) are the most popular methods for finding roles. Direct applications (40%), personal networks (40%), and job boards (38%) were all also seen as viable options.

Non-business social platforms such as Twitter and Facebook are used by around 10% of the sample, a decrease on last year (16%).

Whilst there are similarities regarding the tools digital professionals utilise to find roles, there are also interesting differences across the different skill sets.

Creatives continue to be the most prevalent users of non-business focused social platforms, whereas marketers favour the likes of LinkedIn and other business social networks to search for jobs.

Commercial professionals make the greatest use of their personal networks, whilst techni-cal professionals, perhaps given the make-up of the tech sample which featured a number of contractors, rely on recruitment consultancies to find their next role.

How professionals find a role

10%

20%

40%

30%

50%

60%

Business Operations

43%

37%40%

10%

40%44%

Commercial

52%

27%

39%

5%

51%47%

Creative

41%37% 36%

13%

38% 41%

Marketing

47%

39% 42%

11%

36%

49%

Technical

51%45%

42%

44%

42%

48%

Recruitment consultancy

Job boards

Direct application

Other social media e.g. Twi�er / Facebook

Personal network

Business social networking e.g. Linkedin / Xing

Job search preferences by sector


SeniorityThere are also some key differences in job search preferences as professionals climb the career ladder.

The results indicate that junior professionals are generally the most active in their job search highlighted in their use of job boards, recruitment consultancies, direct applications and business social networks.

Contrastingly, the most senior level professionals tend to utilise the personal networks (51%) they’ve built up throughout their career. Use of job boards and direct application are also less prevalent at this level.

At mid and senior level, professionals are starting to grow and tap into their online networks as well as working with recruiters in the search for their next role.

Job Boards

10%

20%

40%

30%

50%

60%

44% 45% 44% 43%48% 51% 51%50%

37% 38% 39%

49% 51%

28%31% 33%

12% 10% 10%5%

35%41%

16%

37%

Recruitmentconsultancy

Personalnetwork

Directapplication

Business socialnetworking

e.g. Linkedin/Xing

Other socialmedia e.g.Twi�er

/Facebook

SENIOR

MID-LEVEL

JUNIOR

C-LEVEL

How roles were found

ReCOMMenDATIOnS• Recruitment consultancies remain the most popular search option for candidates,

with LinkedIn and business networking tools an extremely close second. It is beneficial for job seekers to tap into these resources and engage with recruiters as well as having an active presence online.

• Equally, it’s important for companies to understand where to find their target talent and utilise specialist recruitment agencies, engaging job adverts and a strong online presence to attract potential candidates into their business.


Bonus receipt amongst our respondents is something we’ve been interested in over past few surveys. In particular we’re interested in how it differs across business type and wheth-er it impacts upon an individual’s willingness to leave their role and their pay perceptions.

55% of our respondents receive some form of bonus, a finding which is consistent with our 2015 report (55%). This also represents an increase on our 2014 sample (50%).

However, less than half of the female sample receive a bonus (47%), down 4% in comparison to 2015, and in contrast, 58% of male respondents receive a bonus, an increase of 2%.

Commercial professionals are the most likely to receive a bonus as you might expect given the target driven nature of their roles whilst creative professionals are the least likely.

Bonus by seniority / ageBonus receipt across the sample increases steadily as seniority level increases with 68% of senior executives receiving a bonus in comparison to 37% of junior professionals. Interestingly, this represents a 3% drop in bonus receipt among juniors compared to 2015.

Linked to these findings, bonus receipt is lowest amongst 18-24 year olds (36%) and highest amongst 35-44 year olds (62%).

Bonus receipt & company benefits

BusinessOperations

Commercial Creative Marketing Technical

20%

10%

30%

50%40%

60%70%

80%

46%54%

NO YES

25%

75%

NO YES

58%

42%

NO YES

52%48%

NO YES

46%

54%

NO YES

Bonus receipt by skillset


Across our sample bonuses are most common in consultancies (70%) and tech vendors (73%). This drops to 54% for those in client-side teams and 44% for those working in agencies.

Bonuses do appear to have a slight impact in reducing leaving intentions as 58% of those receiving a bonus are still considering a job change in 2016.

Interestingly however, those that receive a bonus are far more likely to believe they are fairly paid (41%) in comparison to those that do not (60%).

BenefitsThe benefits most commonly received across the sample are pensions, medical insurance, discounted memberships and flexible working practices.


20%

10%

30%

50%40%

60%70%

63%

NO

37%

YES

46%

NO

54%

YES

40%

NO

60%

YES

32%

NO

68%

YES

Bonus receipt by seniority

Career breaks /Sabbaticals

20%

10%

30%

50%40%

60%70%80%

90%100%

11%

89%

NOYESDiscounted

memberships

36%

64%

NOYESShare Option

Scheme

19%

81%

NOYESLife

Insurance

31%

69%

NOYESFlexibleworking

36%

64%

NOYESFlexiblebenefits

20%

80%

NOYESPension

64%

36%

NOYESTravel

allowance

30%

70%

NOYESChildcare

12%

88%

NOYESMedical

Insurance

51% 49%

NOYES

Benefit receipt across the sample


Certain benefits are also more likely to be available to those in more senior positions within an organisation. For example, C-level executives are far more likely to receive share options (35% compared to just 10% of juniors).

Flexible working also appears to be more available as seniority level increases, with 43% of senior executives able to work flexibly, compared to only 27% of juniors within our sample.


20%

10%

30%

50%40%

60%70%

80%

90%100%

10%

90%

17%

83%

23%

77%

35%

65%

YES NO YES NO YES NO YES NO

Percentage of respondents receiving Share Options


20%

10%

30%

50%40%

60%70%

80%

90%100%

27%

73%

38%

62%

39%

61%

43%

57%

YES NO YES NO YES NO YES NO

Percentage of respondents receiving Flexible Working


We asked those in senior executives and C-level positions additional questions, in order to gain further insight into trends amongst the most senior employees.

Differences in gender representation are evident at this level, with males accounting for 77% of the group compared to 63% across the entire sample. As expected, the C-level group is older on average, with 57% of C-Level executives based in the 35-44 age bracket.

Just under 80% hold an undergraduate degree and less than half hold a postgraduate degree. The most common was an MBA, representing 30% of those with postgraduate qualifications.

The value of a university education is under increasing scrutiny, however for our C-level respondents, both undergraduate and postgraduate degrees seem to have a clear impact on earnings. Those with an undergraduate degree earn an average of £10K more than their peers without a university education. The highest earners are those with an MBA, with an average salary of almost £120K.

C-Level insights

Female 23%

Male 77%

25-34, 17%65+, 2%

45-54, 21%

55-64, 3%

35-44, 57%

Demographics overview: Gender Demographics overview: Age

£40,000

£20,000

£60,000

£80,000

£100,000

£120,000

No Degree With a Degree

£88,583

£102,772

Average Salary by Undergraduate Degree


Working hoursC-Level respondents are typically contracted more hours per week than those in junior, mid-level and senior positions. For example, 11% of senior executives are contracted 48+ hours per week compared to 3% of junior, mid-level and senior respondents combined.

The results also found that 36% of the most senior professionals work 10+ hours over their contracted hours and only 16% of them work less than 2 hours more than they’re contracted.

In comparison, 20% of the junior, mid-level and senior respondents combined don’t work additional hours, and 40% work less than 2 hours above their contracted hours.

RemunerationFor the vast majority of our executives (70%), performance related pay accounts for 0-30% of their overall remuneration package and for 18% of senior executives, performance influ-ences 60% or more of their overall remuneration package.

Current roleAs previously stated, personal networks are the most popular avenue for finding their next role, with 50% of the respondents having obtained their current role this way.

Following this, the two most popular methods were through a specialist headhunting firm (17%) and through internal promotion (16%).

Exemplifying the difficulty in attracting C-level candidates, over a quarter (27%) stated that they expect to be in their current post for six years or more.

Additionally, many are attached to their current roles with significant notice periods. Slightly under 40% expected to provide notice of between three to six months, and 16% expected to provide notice of six months or more before departing.

Keeping in mind the restrictive notice periods, and the fact that the vast majority of C-level individuals gain roles through their personal network, firms should look to either focus on hiring talented individuals from within to the executive level, or consider employing a specialist headhunting firm in order to attract the best candidates externally.


We asked freelance and contract staff a series of additional questions regarding their roles, and their working preferences and habits.

59% of respondents were freelance in their last role, with a third (32%) stating they were in full time employment in their previous post.

Compared with 2015’s findings, contracts lasting less than 3 months were not as common amongst our sample. Freelancers appear to favour longer projects of 3-6 months (38%) and 6+ months (40%).

Despite this shift to longer term contracts generally, freelancers seem to still transition be-tween new posts at a relatively rapid rate, with 64% of the sample securing a new contract within three weeks.

This year, over 67% of freelancers surveyed would consider a permanent role in the future, in comparison with 52% of those surveyed in 2015.

Roughly two-thirds (60%) of the freelancers surveyed, would not consider taking on a contract that meant commuting for over an hour and only 6% would be happy taking on a contract that required them to travel more than two hours per day.

70% of respondents were also willing to work on a project away from home for an extended period, an increase of 10% compared with 2015, suggesting that if employers are able to offer an attractive enough package, they should still be able to attract contract staff from more distant locales.

Contractors / Freelancers

1-3 months, 19%<1 month, 3%

>6 months, 40%

3-6 months, 38%

<1 week, 31%>4 weeks, 23%

3-4 weeks, 13%

2-3 weeks, 12%1-2 weeks, 21%

Usual Contract Length - Freelance Staff Average Length of Time Between Contracts


Encouragingly, the overall average salaries across the skill sets covered appear to be greater in comparison with last year.

Overall Agency Client-side Tech Vendors ConsultancyJunior £27,542 £24,243 £28,607 £32,900 £29,871

Mid-level £41,514 £37,172 £41,826 £50,009 £49,303

Senior £68,256 £57,436 £70,793 £84,915 £69,434

C-level £108,418 £109,060 £103,235 £123,769 £89,286

In contrast to 2015, agency staff represent the lowest paid group across the majority of seniority levels and have seen their average salaries decrease across junior, mid-level and senior positions.

What is clear is that the healthy salaries across the different skill sets and business types are representative of the flourishing digital economy.

Gender pay gap

Salary overview

£40,000

£20,000

£60,000

£100,000

£80,000

£120,000

FemaleC-Level

£98,862

Senior

£64,427

Mid-level

£37,932

Junior

£26,326

MaleC-Level

£99,703

Senior

£71,282

Mid-level

£44,670

Junior

£29,474

Average of current salary in £ per annum


The pay gap across the sample sits relative to that observed in ONS statistics, at approximately 18%.

As with our 2015 report, there are still some clear differences in pay across genders. The gender pay gap becomes much more significant at mid and senior levels, with over £6,000 separating average pay at these levels. Some positives can be seen at the C-level bracket, where the gap is much narrower and almost at parity.

Gender pay differences continue to make headlines, with the UK government currently drafting legislation that, if passed, would force companies above 250 employees to disclose the gender pay gap amongst their workforce.

Regardless of the threat of legislation, firms need to do more to identify where gender pay differences exist in their organisations and rectify the underlying reasons. Our research suggests that these interventions should be targeted primarily at middle and senior man-agement level.


Section 2:

Marketing

The role of the modern marketer continuesto develop and diversify with marketers nowexpected to reach consumers seamlesslyacross multiple channels and touchpoints.

Salaries across the group remain below theoverall averages, however compared to 2015,salaries do increase for three of the fourseniority levels which is encouraging.Findings from our Open Blend researchsuggest that progression and fulfilment atwork are key areas of concern across manyof the age brackets.


Demographics and highlights

N0 39%

Yes 61%

N0 52%

Yes 48%

31-36 16%<30 1%48 4%

42-47 9%

37-41 70%

Are you considering ajob change in 2016?

Do you receive a bonus?

Average working hours

Junior, 22%C-Level, 7%

Mid-level, 43%Senior, 28%

18-24, 14%65+, 1%

45-54, 4%55-64, 1%

25-34, 60%

35-44, 20%




Female 48%

Male 52%


Most important elementsBlend scores

Biggest gaps in fulfilment by age

progressionat work

target blend

fulfilmentat work

24% gap

funcurrent blend

61%

Well-being

happiness65%

confidence69%

stress57%

85%

Generation Z(18-24)

Millennial(25-34)

Generation Y (35-44)

Baby boomers(45-55)

17%fulfilmentat work

17%progressionat work


23%making adifferenceat work


12%clear careergoals

18%effectiveteam

Open Blend summary: Marketing


£40,000

£20,000

£60,000

£100,000

£80,000

£120,000

C-LevelSeniorMid-levelJunior

£26,504£39,007

£63,723

£108,203

Average Salaries by Seniority

As observed in our report last year, marketing salaries fall below the overall averages across all seniority levels.

In comparison to the marketing salaries reported in 2015, we see an increase in the average salary across junior, senior and C-level, with a slight decrease at mid-level.

Contract ratesAverage day rate over past 12 months Seniority

Specialism Junior Mid-level Senior C-level Average

Campaign Management £450 £450

Content Management / Editorial £180 £295 £500 £222

Digital Advertising £200 £260 £285 £258

Email Marketing / eCRM £180 £408 £351

Marketing - Online / Direct £158 £400 £218

Marketing / Brand Strategy £245 £538 £391

Paid Search £218 £218

Product Management £325 £500 £383

SEO / SEM £200 £325 £263

Social Media £133 £288 £300 £213

Average £192 £272 £405 £266

Contract rates for marketing professionals are slightly below the report average, but certain specialisms are clearly in higher demand. Those that sit in the senior levels of content management, brand strategy and product management are particularly well compensated.

The following pages provide an overview of the salary averages for the specific specialisms within the marketing skill set, broken down by seniority level.


Advertising Operations / TraffickingWith the continuing rise of programmatic advertising (and the subsequent shift in budgets towards programmatic platforms), Ad Ops / trafficking professionals find themselves in increasing demand. Mid and senior level professionals sit below the average marketing salaries, but wide salary bandings suggest that there is plenty of room for skilled specialists to command impressive rates.

Affiliate MarketingAffiliate marketing remains a crucial part of the digital ecosystem, especially for publishers and those keen to monetise their content. Salaries for affiliate professionals are slightly below average but in the more senior bracket, average salaries are consistently higher than in our 2015 report.

£0k £10k £20k £30k £40k £50k £70k £80k £90k £100k £110k £120k £130k £140k

£37,463

£26,217

£55,797

£150k£60k

ADVERTISING OPERATIONS / TRAFFICKING SALARIES

SENIOR

MID-LEVEL

JUNIOR

£0k £10k £20k £30k £40k £50k £70k £80k £90k £100k £110k £120k £130k £140k

£36,885

£26,917

£55,000

£150k£60k

AFFILIATE MARKETING SALARIES

SENIOR

MID-LEVEL

JUNIOR


Campaign ManagementThis broad strategic role often requires campaign managers to balance the needs of multiple stakeholders across an organisation, while still satisfying the wider KPIs linked to the campaign. Salaries tend to be below the marketing averages, with broad bandings at higher seniority levels allowing plenty of room for negotiation.

Content Management / editorialContent creation and distribution has become a cornerstone of an organisation’s marketing strategy as search engines continue to tailor SEO algorithms to prioritise original material. Although below the average at junior and mid-level, skilled professionals that advance to senior positions can expect to earn significantly above the average marketing wage.

£0k £10k £20k £30k £40k £50k £70k £80k £90k £100k £110k £120k £130k £140k

£36,821

£27,614

£48,850

£150k£60k

CAMPAIGN MANAGEMENT SALARIES

SENIOR

MID-LEVEL

JUNIOR

£0k £10k £20k £30k £40k £50k £70k £80k £90k £100k £110k £120k £130k £140k

£34,822

£25,217

£69,143

£150k£60k

CONTENT MANAGEMENT SALARIES

SENIOR

MID-LEVEL

JUNIOR


Digital AdvertisingAcross all seniority levels, digital advertising salaries are on a par or higher than the overall marketing averages. When it comes to C-level professionals, the broad range of roles leads to significant variation in salaries, but those at the top end can achieve almost £80K more than the C-level average.

email Marketing / eCRMAs with our 2015 report, salaries at junior and mid-level are competitive, but become more restrictive for senior professionals, somewhat below the senior average for marketers. This suggests that organisations need to consider more attractive benefit packages to prevent talented eCRM professionals from being tempted into other marketing disciplines.

DIGITAL ADVERTISING SALARIES

£41,296

£26,250

£0k

£66,381

£15k £30k £45k £60k £75k £105k £120k £135k £150k £165k £180k £195k £210k£90k

£103,571

SENIOR

MID-LEVEL

JUNIOR

C-LEVEL

£0k £10k £20k £30k £40k £50k £70k £80k £90k £100k £110k £120k £130k £140k

£38,688

£27,419

£52,063

£150k£60k

EMAIL MARKETING / E-CRM SALARIES

SENIOR

MID-LEVEL

JUNIOR


Marketing - Online / DirectDominated by those with more generalist marketing skills, the group observes both extreme highs and lows in terms of reported salaries. On balance, the professionals in this group achieve slightly higher wages across the seniority brackets than the marketing average.

Marketing - Brand StrategyBranding and identity continue to be the key differentiator for companies, and this is reflected in the similar or above average salaries for brand strategy professionals at both senior and C-level brackets, receiving some of the highest salaries observed across our sample.

£40,926

£27,376

£0k

£66,236

£15k £30k £45k £60k £75k £105k £120k £135k £150k £165k £180k £195k £205k£90k

£110,925

MARKETING - ONLINE / DIRECT SALARIES

SENIOR

MID-LEVEL

JUNIOR

C-LEVEL

£36,745

£23,734

£0k

£67,175

£15k £30k £45k £60k £75k £105k £120k £135k £150k £165k £180k £195k £205k£90k

£108,182

BRAND STRATEGY SALARIES

SENIOR

MID-LEVEL

JUNIOR

C-LEVEL


Paid SearchAcross the sample, paid search displays relatively competitive junior salaries followed by less restrictive senior pay. With search continuing to grow, it is expected that salaries in the senior levels will increase as organisations compete for more experienced talent.

Paid SocialAt junior level, salary bandings extremely tight, a trend which was also observed in our 2015 report. However, mid-level and senior positions now show much wider bandings than in 2015, suggesting more diverse supply and competition for positions. Although this has caused slightly lower average salaries overall, maximum earning potential has increased significantly.

£0k £10k £20k £30k £40k £50k £70k £80k £90k £100k £110k £120k £130k £140k

£38,619

£26,640

£57,294

£150k£60k

PAID SEARCH SALARIES

SENIOR

MID-LEVEL

JUNIOR

£0k £10k £20k £30k £40k £50k £70k £80k £90k £100k £110k £120k £130k £140k

£36,250

£21,000

£56,800

£150k£60k

PAID SOCIAL SALARIES

SENIOR

MID-LEVEL

JUNIOR


Product ManagementProduct management remains one of the most profitable marketing specialisms, a trend also observed in our 2015 report. Product managers earn above the average across all senior-ity levels, with the gap widening as seniority increases.

SeO / SeMIn line with our 2015 report, SEO/SEM professionals continue to earn salaries that are broadly consistent with the average marketing salary, except at senior level where salaries are lower. However, broad salary bands at senior level indicate a high level of opportunity for career advancement for ambitious junior and mid-level executives.

£ k £10k £20k £30k £40k £50k £70k £80k £90k £100k £110k £120k £130k £140k

£49,208

£28,250

£80,176

£150k£60k

PRODUCT MANAGEMENT SALARIES

SENIOR

MID-LEVEL

JUNIOR

£0k £10k £20k £30k £40k £50k £70k £80k £90k £100k £110k £120k £130k £140k

£39,422

£27,038

£55,850

£150k£60k

SEO / SEM SALARIES

SENIOR

MID-LEVEL

JUNIOR


Social MediaSocial media salaries remain slightly below the average marketing salaries at all levels, suggesting that businesses are still to be convinced that social influences the bottom line enough to increase remuneration, particularly across junior and mid-level roles. Salaries at senior level however, show broader bandings, suggesting a demand for those able to lead social strategy at an organisational level.

£0k £10k £20k £30k £40k £50k £70k £80k £90k £100k £110k £120k £130k £140k

£35,583

£25,379

£56,420

£150k£60k

SOCIAL MEDIA SALARIES

SENIOR

MID-LEVEL

JUNIOR

Section 3:

Commercial

The leading edge of a business, those inthe commercial section of our report areresponsible for seeking out potential clientsand fostering the relationships that allowa company to grow.

Salaries have increased across the spectrumin comparison to our 2015 survey, whileresearch from our Open Blend section suggests that employers have to do more to ensure commercial staff are fulfilled, and clear on their future prospects for progression.



N0 44%

Yes 56%

N0 25%

Yes 75%

31-36 12%<30 1%48+ 7%

42-47 12%

37-41 68%




Junior, 14%C-level, 18%


18-24, 6%65+, 1%

45-54, 8%55-64, 2%

25-34, 48%

35-44, 35%




Female 33%

Male 67%




fulfilmentat work

target blend

healthand exercise

23% gap

my partnercurrent blend

64%

Well-being

happiness66%

confidence74%

stress60%

87%

Generation Z(18-24)

Millennial(25-34)


Baby boomers(45-55)

17.5%effectiveteam




24%mindsetwell-being



Open Blend summary: Commercial


£40,000

£20,000

£60,000

£100,000

£80,000

£120,000


£27,126

£41,116

£71,423

£113,083


With the exception of mid-level professionals, salaries across the commercial skill set were higher than in our 2015 report.

However, unlike last year where salaries were above the overall average across each seniority level, junior and mid-level salaries fall below the overall averages.



Account Management £200 £275 £230

Business Development £253 £280 £650 £390

Partnerships £400 £400

Average £200 £262 £340 £650 £324

As a specialism focused on relationships, freelancers in the commercial skill set tend to be focused in a small subset of the overall discipline. Rates for this group tend to be tightly distributed, with little separation between the junior and senior levels.

The following pages provide an overview of the salary averages for the specific specialisms within the commercial skill set, broken down by seniority level.


Account ManagementDespite being the cornerstone of most organisations, and the first point of contact with clients, salaries for account management professionals are slightly below the commercial average overall. However, broad bandings allow room for negotiation, and those that ad-vance to C-level in this specialism can expect their compensation to rise above that usually observed at this level.

Agency SalesRemuneration within agency sales is above the commercial average, with this difference becoming particularly pronounced as professionals enter the senior and C-level brackets. Despite the high averages, variation across the salary bandings is high, with senior compen-sation ranging from £50K at the low end to almost £160K at the top of the spectrum.

£40,567

£26,140

£0k

£60,683

£10k £20k £30k £40k £50k £70k £80k £90k £100k £110k £120k £130k £140k£60k

£116,750

ACCOUNT MANAGEMENT SALARIES

SENIOR

MID-LEVEL

JUNIOR

C-LEVEL

£45,038

£28,750

£0k

£94,527

£20k £40k £60k £80k £100k £140k £160k £180k £200k £220k £240k £260k £280k£120k

£121,250

AGENCY SALES SALARIES

SENIOR

MID-LEVEL

JUNIOR

C-LEVEL


Business DevelopmentIn a similar vein to agency sales, the broad range of roles across business development see significant variation within each seniority bracket. At C-level in particular, professionals have substantial space for negotiation, with top range salaries amongst the highest record-ed across our survey.

Channel SalesAlthough salaries for channel sales professionals are below the overall commercial average, particularly at junior level, bandings become much broader as seniority increases. Remuneration remains lower at the top end compared to other commercial roles suggesting some migration into more strategically focused positions as professionals gain experience.

£40,703

£29,882

£0k

£73,770

£20k £40k £60k £80k £100k £140k £160k £180k £200k £220k £240k £260k £280k£120k

£108,231

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT SALARIES

SENIOR

MID-LEVEL

JUNIOR

C-LEVEL

£38,100

£25,000

£0k

£62,250

£10k £20k £30k £40k £50k £70k £80k £90k £100k £110k £120k £130k £140k£60k

CHANNEL SALES SALARIES

SENIOR

MID-LEVEL

JUNIOR


Customer ServicesCustomer services professionals sit below the average commercial salaries across the seniority levels, particularly at junior and mid-level, where remuneration is restrictive even at the top end. Despite some at senior level earning above the average commercial rate, our research suggests professionals may seek lateral movement into other related roles to improve their remuneration prospects.

enterprise Software SalesSelling software to large enterprises requires a mix of technical and administrative skills, in combination with the business sense and personality to secure the final sale. Despite the long sales cycle, the potential for reward is significantly higher than many commercial roles, with salaries above the commercial average at all seniority levels.

£31,750

£24,667

£0k

£65,250

£10k £20k £30k £40k £50k £70k £80k £90k £100k £110k £120k £130k £140k£60k

CUSTOMER SERVICES SALARIES

SENIOR

MID-LEVEL

JUNIOR

£60,000

£35,000

£0k

£85,714

£10k £20k £30k £40k £50k £70k £80k £90k £100k £110k £120k £130k £140k£60k

£118,333

ENTERPRISE SOFTWARE SALARIES

SENIOR

MID-LEVEL

JUNIOR

C-LEVEL


PartnershipsRepresenting the lucrative revenues derived from large scale sponsorship agreements and partnerships, professionals in this specialism see relatively tight salary bandings at junior and mid-level. However, salaries across all seniority levels sit above the commercial average, and earning potential for those that advance remains competitive with the broad spectrum of commercial roles analysed in our report.

Pre-Sales As in our 2015 report, salaries for pre-sales professionals remain relatively tight across the seniority levels, with much less room for negotiation than in many other commercial roles. Despite the tight salary bands, those that hold mid-level and senior positions are highly valued, with average salaries significantly beyond the commercial norm.

£0k £10k £20k £30k £40k £50k £70k £80k £90k £100k £110k £120k £130k £140k

£42,000

£33,867

£72,409

£150k£60k

PARTNERSHIP SALARIES

SENIOR

MID-LEVEL

JUNIOR

£0k £10k £20k £30k £40k £50k £70k £80k £90k £100k £110k £120k £130k £140k

£62,000

£23,333

£90,000

£150k£60k

PRE-SALES SALARIES

SENIOR

MID-LEVEL

JUNIOR


Publisher DevelopmentJunior and mid-level salaries sit below the overall commercial average, however wider salary brackets allow for the potential to exceed the norm by some margin. At senior level, professionals can expect their compensation to rise significantly, although top end salaries are somewhat more restrictive than the other positions analysed.e

£0k £10k £20k £30k £40k £50k £70k £80k £90k £100k £110k £120k £130k £140k

£37,300

£23,333

£79,583

£150k£60k

PUBLISHER DEVELOPMENT SALARIES

SENIOR

MID-LEVEL

JUNIOR

Section 4:

Technical

Those in our technical specialisms are responsible for maintaining the extensive infrastructure and virtual assets that act as storefronts in today’s digital economy. Developers and technical specialists arguably hold as much influence over the customer experience as marketers, with polished online interactions a growing driver of brand preference.

Salaries for this group are above the overallindustry averages observed across oursample. However, findings from our OpenBlend research suggest that progression atwork remains a key concern across manyof the age brackets.



N0 36%

Yes 64%

No 46%

Yes 54%

31-36 14%<30 1%42-47 7%

37-41 78%




18-24, 5%65+, 1%

45-54, 11%55-64, 2%

25-34, 47%35-44, 34%

Junior, 22%C-Level, 7%





Female 16%

Male 84%




fulfilmentat work

target blend

my partner21% gap

time withfamily andfriendscurrent

blend

62%

Well-being

happiness68%

confidence71%

stress53%

83%

Generation Z(18-24)

Millennial(25-34)


Baby boomers(45-55)





14%recognition

Open Blend summary: Technical


£40,000

£20,000

£60,000

£100,000

£80,000

£120,000

Mid-levelJunior

£31,995

£48,604

Senior

£68,874


Contrasting significantly with last year’s report, technical salaries are above the overall averages at junior, mid and senior level, a trend more in line with our 2014 report.

Despite the lack of salary data for senior executives, our report would suggest that for those who do make it to the most senior management level, the remuneration is extremely favourable.

Contract ratesAverage day rate over past 12 months SenioritySpecialism Junior Mid-level Senior C-level AverageArchitecture £300 £451 £434Back-end Development £300 £400 £496 £438Business Analysis £200 £275 £481 £400Front-end Development £224 £324 £403 £310IT Operations £197 £350 £442 £333Mobile Development £250 £313 £416 £393Programme Management £250 £450 £383Project Management £225 £315 £385 £323SEO / SEM £300 £300Testing / QA £225 £315 £400 £306Average £224 £324 £422 £336

Technical contractors and freelancers are commonplace within many organisations, with a large number of tech professionals preferring this often lucrative option over taking a salaried role. Rates often start high indicating there are opportunities to make good money even at junior level. The high demand for technical talent is reflected in the fact that rates for this group are significantly above the average at both junior and mid-levels.

The following pages provide an overview of the salary averages for the specific specialisms within technical skill sets, broken down by seniority level.


ArchitectureThose in software architecture typically tend to be more senior in scope, with those ana-lysed concentrated in the mid-level and senior brackets. Although mid-level positions are slightly below the average, salary ranges are wide in scope, and those in senior positions can expect to earn significantly above the average for technical roles.

Back-end DevelopmentThose in back-end development roles see their salaries slightly below the technical average at mid and senior level. However, wide ranges across all levels show that skilled profession-als are still in high demand with organisations willing to pay well for the right candidate.

£0k £10k £20k £30k £40k £50k £70k £80k £90k £100k £110k £120k £130k £140k

£92,115

£46,111

£150k£60k

ARCHITECTURE SALARIES

SENIOR

MID-LEVEL

£0k £10k £20k £30k £40k £50k £70k £80k £90k £100k £110k £120k £130k £140k

£46,265

£35,100

£63,937

£150k£60k

BACK-END SALARIES

SENIOR

MID-LEVEL

JUNIOR


Big DataAs businesses focus their strategies towards data, those capable of managing and deriving insight will see rising competition for their skillsets. This is already reflected in the above average salaries for big data professionals across all seniority levels with salaries represent-ing an increase in comparison to 2015.

Business AnalysisSimilar to roles centred on big data, the increased focus on driving performance and revenue gains through insight has also had a commensurate impact on those in the business analytics space. Salaries here outstrip the technical average at both the junior and mid-level brackets.

£0k £10k £20k £30k £40k £50k £70k £80k £90k £100k £110k £120k £130k £140k

£53,754

£32,292

£72,650

£150k£60k

BIG DATA SALARIES

SENIOR

MID-LEVEL

JUNIOR

£0k

SENIOR

MID-LEVEL

JUNIOR

£10k £20k £30k £40k £50k £70k £80k £90k £100k £110k £120k £130k £140k

£55,094

£38,125

£66,231

£150k£60k

BUSINESS ANALYSIS SALARIES

SENIOR

MID-LEVEL

JUNIOR


Front-end DevelopmentFront-end development traditionally acts as an entry point in the technical space, which leads to significant variation in salary bandings and slightly depressed averages. However, across all seniority levels, top end salaries can be exceptional, suggesting that competition and demand for talented front-end developers is still driving the market forward.

IT OperationsThose in IT Operations are responsible for the general technical maintenance of an organ-isation’s assets, and compensation for these roles stretches beyond the technical average in junior and mid-level positions. Salaries at senior level move toward parity with the average wage for technical professionals at this level.

£0k £10k £20k £30k £40k £50k £70k £80k £90k £100k £110k £120k £130k £140k

£45,523

£30,960

£59,640

£150k£60k

FRONT-END SALARIES

SENIOR

MID-LEVEL

JUNIOR

£0k £10k £20k £30k £40k £50k £70k £80k £90k £100k £110k £120k £130k £140k

£50,104

£33,093

£62,276

£150k£60k

IT OPERATIONS SALARIES

SENIOR

MID-LEVEL

JUNIOR


Mobile DevelopmentAs mobile continues as a key consumer touchpoint, those in its development have seen their skills come into considerable demand. Due to this, salaries for mobile development positions are above the group average for junior and mid-level roles and are just shy of average at senior level.

Programme ManagementAs a role which is generally perceived as more senior by organisations, programme manag-ers can expect to receive particularly competitive salaries in relation to their peers in the technical sample. This is illustrated by the fact that mid-level programme managers can receive salaries above the technical average, even at the lowest end of the spectrum.

£0k £10k £20k £30k £40k £50k £70k £80k £90k £100k £110k £120k £130k £140k

£51,333

£35,857

£68,346

£150k£60k

MOBILE DEVELOPMENT SALARIES

SENIOR

MID-LEVEL

JUNIOR

£0k £10k £20k £30k £40k £50k £70k £80k £90k £100k £110k £120k £130k £140k

£92,300

£61,951

£150k£60k

PROGRAMME SALARIES

SENIOR

MID-LEVEL


Project ManagementAlthough junior project managers can expect to receive salaries below that of the techni-cal average, room for negotiation increases significantly as professionals rise through the ranks. Salary variation is particularly high for this group at mid and senior levels, but com-pensation for the project managers at the top end rivals that of the most skilled developers.

Testing & Quality AssuranceSimilar to front-end development, the testing and QA function is often seen as an entry point into many technical departments and technically focused organisations. Perhaps for this reason, salaries sit below the average for the technical skill set as a group, but competi-tion at the top end still leads to enviable remuneration offers for the most accomplished QA professionals.

£0k £10k £20k £30k £40k £50k £70k £80k £90k £100k £110k £120k £130k £140k

£51,100

£26,625

£66,308

£150k£60k

PROJECT MANAGEMENT SALARIES

SENIOR

MID-LEVEL

JUNIOR

£0k £10k £20k £30k £40k £50k £70k £80k £90k £100k £110k £120k £130k £140k

£42,861

£27,100

£55,300

£150k£60k

TESTING & QA SALARIES

SENIOR

MID-LEVEL

JUNIOR

Section 5:

Creative

Creativity remains one of the strongest differentiators that any business can offer, with many of the world’s most notable companies driven by design and ingenuity. Those in our creative section are responsible for creating the spark that brings an idea to life.

The majority of those in our creative group have seen their salaries increase since 2015. Our Open Blend research suggests that younger creatives in particular (those in generation Z and millennials) feel that clearer career goals are a necessity.



N0 29%

Yes 71%

N0 58%

Yes 42%

31-36 12%<30 1%48+ 7%

42-47 12%

37-41 68%




Junior, 19%C-Suite, 4%


18-24, 9%65+, 1%

45-54, 10%55-64, 1%

25-34, 48%35-44, 31%




Female 35%

Male 65%




fun

target blend

time withfamily andfriends

26% gap

health andexercisecurrent

blend

59%

Well-being

happiness64%

confidence68%

stress54%

85%

Generation Z(18-24)

Millennial(25-34)


Baby boomers(45-55)

16%clearcareer goals


13%flexibleworkingculture

16%recognition


16%health andexercise

16%sense ofbelonging

Open Blend summary: Creative


£40,000

£20,000

£60,000

£100,000

£80,000

£120,000


£28,236£38,677

£60,067

£84,667


Across junior, mid and senior levels, salaries are higher than in 2015. However, they are still lower than the 2016 overall average salaries for three of the four seniority levels.

Only at junior level do creative professionals find their average salary higher than the sample overall.



Copywriting £188 £271 £360 £266

Creative Strategy £275 £308 £295

Design £193 £264 £341 £266

Production Management £200 £200

Project Management £255 £333 £366 £331

UX / UI £244 £341 £438 £390

Average £208 £311 £403 £334

Due to the project orientated nature of creative work, there will always be a need for skilled contractors within this space and often they are crucial to delivering projects on time. Across many of the specialisms, rates are down at each seniority level, however this decrease is only marginal. Salary averages for creative professionals are in line with those found across the wider survey group.

The following pages provide an overview of the salary averages for the specific specialisms within the creative skill set, broken down by seniority level.


ArtworkSalaries for artworkers are widely consistent with creative averages, and generally, remuner-ation for artworkers is higher than those observed in our 2015 research. However at junior level, salaries remain below the creative average.Copywriting

CopywritingSalaries for copywriters reflect the fact that many in the specialism migrate into more broadly focused strategic roles, such as creative strategists or more general marketing positions, as they gain more experience. As an artefact of the specialism’s heritage as an entry point into creative roles, salaries are slightly below the creative average.

£0k

SENIOR

MID-LEVEL

JUNIOR

£10k £20k £30k £40k £50k £70k £80k £90k £100k £110k £120k £130k £140k

£46,250

£24,333

£60,000

£150k£60k

ARTWORK SALARIES

£0k £10k £20k £30k £40k £50k £70k £80k £90k £100k £110k £120k £130k £140k

£34,267

£25,000

£150k£60k

COPYWRITING SALARIES

MID-LEVEL

JUNIOR


Creative StrategyTraditionally a more senior role within organisations, those responsible for creative strat-egy command some of the highest salaries observed across the creative skill set sample. However, salaries are distributed widely across the seniority brackets, suggesting that the perception of the value of creativity varies significantly across organisations.

DesignSalaries for designers remain slightly below the creative average on the whole. However, particularly at senior levels, designers with broader strategic goals (such as brand experience heads), can attain impressive remuneration packages that are higher than the majority of those observed across the creative sample.

£38,417

£27,000

£0k

£62,313

£10k £20k £30k £40k £50k £70k £80k £90k £100k £110k £120k £130k £140k£60k

£84,667

CREATIVE STRATEGY SALARIES

SENIOR

MID-LEVEL

JUNIOR

C-LEVEL

£36,726

£27,609

£0k

£54,659

£20k £40k £60k £80k £100k £140k £160k £180k £200k £220k £240k £260k £280k£120k

DESIGN SALARIES

SENIOR

MID-LEVEL

JUNIOR


Production ManagementReflecting the trend for production management roles to be focused in senior levels of creative departments, junior salaries are concentrated in a narrow range. Mid-level salaries in particular outstrip the average for the creative skill set, and the most well paid produc-tion managers at senior level can expect to achieve around £10K more than the average for creatives.

Project ManagementCreative project managers show a similar salary profile to their counterparts in the techni-cal space. Salaries at both junior and mid-level positions are on a par with the average cre-ative wage, and although senior compensation is slightly below the average, vast variations in salary ranges see some senior project managers earning up to £100K.

£45,500

£27,892

£0k

£58,714

£10k £20k £30k £40k £50k £70k £80k £90k £100k £110k £120k £130k £140k£60k

PRODUCTION MANAGEMENT SALARIES

SENIOR

MID-LEVEL

JUNIOR

£39,182

£28,685

£0k

£58,591

£10k £20k £30k £40k £50k £70k £80k £90k £100k £110k £120k £130k £140k£60k

PROJECT MANAGEMENT SALARIES

SENIOR

MID-LEVEL

JUNIOR


UX / UI With a more technically focused skillset backed up by the growing awareness of strong UX as a competitive advantage, UX and UI professionals receive salaries that are higher than the creative average by some margin, particularly at junior level. Broad salary bandings also suggest significantly potential for lateral movement within the specialism.

£41,136

£37,429

£0k

£66,717

£10k £20k £30k £40k £50k £70k £80k £90k £100k £110k £120k £130k £140k£60k

UX/UI SALARIES

SENIOR

MID-LEVEL

JUNIOR

Section 6:

BusinessOperations

The business operations professionals in our sample are theengines of their organisations. Responsible for core functionssuch as finance and human resources, they often sit in thebackground of their business. Few professions are moreessential for firms to function effectively however, with ourOpen Blend research alone emphasising the importance ofHR policy on employee retention.

Salaries sit close to the overall averages, rising slightly above at junior level. Fulfilment at work and progression wererecognised as key concerns for business operationsprofessionals, which shifts to a focus on a more positive and flexible working culture for older employees.



N0 33%

Yes 67%

No 46%

Yes 54%

31-36 17%<30 4%48+ 3%

42-47 6%

37-41 70%




Junior, 14%C-level, 14%


18-24, 5%65+, 1%

45-54, 13%

55-64, 7%

25-34, 49%35-44, 25%




Female 52%

Male 48%


Open Blend summary: Business Operations



fulfilmentat work

target blend

fun24% gap

my partnercurrent blend

61%

Well-being

happiness67%

confidence71%

stress59%

85%

Generation Z(18-24)

Millennial(25-34)


Baby boomers(45-55)



14%fun

14%flexible workingculture

26%progression at work


14%recognition


£40,000

£20,000

£60,000

£100,000

£80,000

£120,000


£29,000£39,701

£66,087

£102,111


New to our report this year, business operations professionals see their average salaries fall below the overall averages at mid, senior and C-level, perhaps given the breadth of roles and responsibilities within this group.

Only at junior level do business operations professionals find their average salary higher than the sample overall.



Administration £107 £185 £450 £190

Finance £100 £100

HR £700 £700

IT £300 £517 £750 £494

Legal £350 £600 £475

Average £105 £265 £555 £750 £402

A skill set with typically fewer contract staff than those we’ve covered, business operations professionals on a daily rate see the broadest banding throughout seniority levels. This again, is most likely due to the breadth of roles covered within this sample.

The following pages provide an overview of the salary averages for the specific specialisms within the business operations skill set, broken down by seniority level.


AdministrationAdministration encompasses a broad range of professions, from those responsible for fulfilling key organisational support functions to chief operating officers. The variation in roles leads to the lower seniority levels observing salaries which are somewhat below the business operations average whereas senior and C-level positions sit above the average. Linked to this, salaries are broadly distributed across the brackets, reflecting the wide variety of positions.

FinanceAs with administration, the finance specialism encompasses a wide-ranging mix of positions, from accounts administrators to chief financial officers. Salaries for finance professionals are largely at parity with the average for the business operations skillset, but C-level finance professionals can expect to receive significantly above the average, rising to £200K per year at the highest levels.

£36,433

£26,667

£0k

£71,000

£20k £40k £60k £80k £100k £140k £160k £180k £200k £220k £240k £260k £280k£120k

£109,922

ADMINISTRATION SALARIES

SENIOR

MID-LEVEL

JUNIOR

C-LEVEL

£37,167

£0k

£64,800

£20k £40k £60k £80k £100k £140k £160k £180k £200k £220k £240k £260k £280k£120k

£112,500

FINANCE SALARIES

SENIOR

MID-LEVEL

C-LEVEL


Human ResourcesHR and recruitment salaries are consistent with the averages observed across the business operations skill set as a group. Junior and mid-level salaries are somewhat above the average however expected salary ranges across both brackets are fairly restrictive. At senior and C-level, remuneration varies much more widely, with almost £70K separating the highest and lowest paid HR directors.

IT SalariesWith the exception of C-level professionals, those in IT can expect to receive salaries that are equivalent with others in the support functions analysed across business operations. At C-level, IT specialists can still expect to receive competitive compensation, but the salary range is significantly more measured at the top end than with other C-level professionals across the skillset.

£40,844

£32,200

£0k

£60,250SENIOR

MID-LEVEL

JUNIOR

£10k £20k £30k £40k £50k £70k £80k £90k £100k £110k £120k £130k £140k£60k

£99,143C-LEVEL

HR SALARIES

£41,984

£28,500

£0k

£67,455

£10k £20k £30k £40k £50k £70k £80k £90k £100k £110k £120k £130k £140k£60k

£81,000

IT SALARIES

SENIOR

MID-LEVEL

JUNIOR

C-LEVEL

Our Digital Salary & Industry Insights report is an annual undertaking produced for the individuals who drive the global digital economy. We’ll be back in 2017 with our eighth edition, but in the meantime you can get in touch with any questions or queries on 0207 432 6340 or by emailing [email protected].

Propel London: Recruiters for the global digital economy Propel are the UK’s largest independent provider of permanent and contract recruitment services to the global digital economy, specialising in commercial, marketing, technical and creative talent.

The Drum is a global media platform and Europe’s largest marketing website.

Every day we share industry news from around the globe, and every fortnight, we showcase ‘world-changing’ marketing in our magazine.

Beyond our reporting remit, our ecosystem includes 23 awards, 7 live events, a peer-to-peer learning club, content marketing division, and video production and distribution service.

To find out more visit www.thedrum.com.

Open Blend Method is an online tool that simply enables effective communication between a leader and their individual team members.

Our software facilitates high impact coaching sessions that focus on an individual’s well-being and performance. At the heart of the software is our ‘Blend Tool’. Work life balance is outdate and Blend is its replacement.

Blend is our simple yet revolutionary methodology that highlights the reality that perfo-mance at work is impacted by life and life is impacted by work; in other words our work and lives are not separate, the blend. Get the blend right and performance improves.

To find out more visit openblendmethod.co.uk.

Thank you

propellondon.com0207 432 [email protected]

Recruiting & HR

Digital salary and industry insights report, 7th edition